Measurement of speciated nitrogen and sulfur fluxes above a grass field
Ian Rumsey1 and John T. Walker2
Atmospheric deposition of nitrogen and sulfur compounds is a concern due to potential environmental impacts such as ecosystem eutrophication and acidification. The development of models to predict nitrogen and sulfur air-surface exchange fluxes requires observational datasets that capture a range of different conditions including variations in meteorology, surface conditions and atmospheric chemistry. For the development of total nitrogen and sulfur deposition budgets, the simultaneous measurement of multiple species is an additional requirement. New measurement instruments, such as the Monitor for AeRosols and GAses in ambient air (MARGA) 2S, allow the opportunity to conduct long-term multi-species flux measurements. The MARGA 2S is an on-line analyzer that employs dual sample collection boxes and measures water-soluble aerosols and gases at an hourly temporal resolution using ion chromatography. Air-surface exchange fluxes of gases (NH3, HNO3, and SO2) and aerosols (NH4+, NO3-, and SO42-) were calculated by measuring vertical concentration gradients between two different heights using a modified MARGA 2S and by applying the aerodynamic gradient method. The presentation provides a summary of the performance of the MARGA as a gradient system and preliminary measurements of nitrogen and sulfur compound fluxes above a grass field during different seasons in 2012. The air-surface exchange fluxes are evaluated with respect to seasonal and diurnal variations as well as the influence of surface characteristics and meteorological conditions. The total flux uncertainty is determined by calculating the concentration gradient and transfer velocity precision. The relative contribution of individual nitrogen compounds to the total flux of NH3 + NH4+ + HNO3 + NO3- is evaluated with respect to seasonal variations.
1College of Charleston, rumseyic@cofc.edu
2U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, walker.johnt@epa.gov